The Staff Of Australia
by englishbabydoll
Summary: Lara Croft heads to Australia, in search of the Rare and Mythical Staff of Australia, and ends up running into a long-believed dead Archeologist. Indiana Jones/Lara Croft cross-over feature. Work in Progress...
1. Chapter 1

"Isn't that just lovely?" Lara Croft spoke to herself, using her binoculars to zoom in on the astonishing Temple ruins she was currently rummaging about. Winding up the lens, her picture came to a full zoom as she read about the Australian markings on the outside walls, very reminiscent to Algebra.

Brushing back a lock of her dark hair, she pulled the camera down, a small smile creeping upon her lips. "Oh yes, this should be fun" Slipping her binoculars back into the right pocket, she rose to her black boots that time. Putting both her gloved hands on each side of her holster, she looked about the rest of the scenery where she was; Brisbane, Australia.

Lara enjoyed the beautiful rays from the sun going down, casting over the tall, thick bristles of pine trees she was surround by. It took her a hell of time getting through the Marsh, considering the front wheel of her dirt bike got stuck in the thick grass, leaving her to hike the rest of the way up the hill. Good thing her leather pistols didn't caught in the weeds as well, already losing her carrying bag on the way.

She glanced back to see her bike now sinking deeper into the mud, and rolled her brown eyes, putting her attention back on the Tavern. Checking to make sure she hadn't lost anything else; she had her guns, her medic kit and her Swiss Army Knife. 'That should do it,' she thought, before stepping back somewhat away from the edge.

Taking a deep inhale, Lara stepped forward onto her hands, carefully balancing herself on the mucky grass. Her thick braid swung around her face as she walked forward carefully, measuring herself on the edge. Small pieces of rock crumbled and slipped downward, falling and disappearing before they hit the cold water below.

"Relax, Lara, relax" She gave herself small advice, closing her eyes. Readying herself, she used her gymnastic ability to swing around in a 360 circle, before leaping off the cliff. The wind blew around her face as she turned stomach first, facing the water. It was about a fifty feet drop, giving her enough time to pull out her magnetic grapple. She looked and went to aim for something to grapple upon, but her eyes widened when she saw there was nothing sight.

"Oh bloody hell!" She cursed herself for being so stupid, knowing it wouldn't work on any branch or wood type. Getting closer and closer to plunging in the water, she thought quickly. An ancient memory of her Father teaching her how to swan dive flooded her mind that point.

"_Now Lara, you must concentrate" Her father said sternly, standing behind her on the large diving board. She stood in front of him, her feet touching the end. Both their weight together made the board dip slightly, and she didn't know if it would work or not. _

"_But father-"She was silenced when his hand touched the top of her French braid, and she knew it was her time not to interject. The board was fifteen feet high above the large pool below them, not even seeing her reflection. _

"_Concentrate" Richard's words cooed softly in her ear, and she relaxed somewhat. Letting her body fall slack momentarily, Lara closed her brown eyes briefly._

"_Jump"_

_With her Father's word, Lara soared off the diving board with lightning speed, her eyes still closed as she did. Wind blew around her as she angled herself in a straightened position, spreading her pale arms on each side of her. _

_Fixing out her legs, she reminded you of a snow angle as she fell, before meeting the water. She tilted her head first, and before she did, her arms came to a point in front of her head, fingers tips touching the water, before her entire body. _

_She kept her eyes closed as she swam back up towards the surface. She popped out quickly, taking in air as she did. She shook her braid out, before gazing upwards, seeing her Father smiling and clapping down towards her. _

"_Very good, Lara"_

When Lara opened her eyes, coming back to reality, she was few feet from the water. Doing as she was taught, she straightened out each of her limbs. Tilting head first, she brought her arms close to her in a sharp point, finally reaching the water. She gasped as the cold, pristine water breached her bare flesh, the dark water surrounding her. She touched the bottom momentarily, before heading back up towards the top.

Sunlight came into view as she came out of the water, exhaling deeply. Rubbing her eyes, Lara began swimming towards the nearest land. Reaching it, she grabbed the edge tightly, before slowly easing her figure out. Her legs swung above her as she did, then she plopped down onto her feet, without breaking a sweat.

She was soaked in water, from head to toe. Not worrying about that however, she ringed out the back of her braid, feeling around to see that she still had equipment. Gazing up to see she was near the Temple, she grinned. It was a remarkable sight up close, and her nerves began tingling with excitement from getting what's inside.

"Thank you, Father" She said, before heading over towards the nearest wall.

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"Well, that figures" Indiana Jones spoke harshly, using his hand as a shield from the sun. He was in the bank of the Temple, looking for a way inside. He cursed when he spotted a couple of Mercenaries down below near the entrance, trying to get inside. He rolled his eyes before taking off his Fedora.

Running his hand over his matted hair, he looked back downwards. "Why do all of these bastards have to ruin everything I'm looking for?" Indiana couldn't tell if they were German or Indian, but he knew they were trouble. On his left knee, he leaned over a little farther, spotting the men carrying a battering ram, to get the door open.

"Amateurs, you're just going to sects inside pissed" He spoke to himself, before checking around his belt and waist, grinning when his whip was still intact. On his way here, he had to climb over broken tree branches and shattered stones, almost spraining his ankle at one point. Not to mention he was covered in water, starting to dry somewhat.

From the back entrance, he had to swim across the pond that stood behind the Tavern, giving him luck that no Snakes, Alligators or anything else was in the water. His bag was dropped in the sticky sand at the ocean/land line, sinking down to the bottom. Now he was left with his Magnum Pistol, his signature whip and his fedora. Nothing could get worse at this point, he thought.

Once they were unable to get in through the door, most of them had descended back into the Militia trucks and wagons. Smirking as they failed, Indiana swiftly put his Fedora back on, pulling out his whip. He swung down to the bottom, picking up where they left off.

Indiana spotted and open crack from where the ram had being used to crushed, and headed towards it. Slipping on his gloves, he grabbed a hold of the side, beginning to it outwards, giving him enough space to slip inside. Once he was in, he closed the stone door behind, securing it so that now outside intruders could get in.

He around, the area light briefly by two torches. Grabbing one of them, he began making his way into the interior section. "Amazing" He said, his fingers brushing against the Algebraic markings on the marble walls, no dust left on his skin. He crooked an eyebrow at that, but shook it off as he focused on finding the main corridor.

Ducking under an angled ceiling, he didn't realize where he was going. Gaping as slippery rocks gave out under his feet, he retreated and grasped onto the door way frames, taking in a deep breath from almost falling. "God damn…" He panted, looking down to see the rocks fall into the water below. "Water must be leaking from outside" He said, looking at it once more, before walking around it.

As he ventured more in, it began getting darker. He held the torch up higher on an angle, squinting his eyes to get a better view. He came to a set of stairs that point, and he paused briefly, using the fire to rid the stair well of rats. They all scattered like roaches, hiding and running into small holes and cracks in the walls.

Indiana carefully walked up the stone steps, not sure if they were stable or not. Bracing himself, just in case of a fall he put his hand on the wall, balancing his step. Now off the stairs, he entered a long corridor, not paying attention to where he was going. Too wrapped up in the Australian writings above him, he lost his footing.

He swung his arms around to find something to grab, but it faulted when he fell backwards, landing on his ass. He groaned from the pain, holding his tail bone. His torch had gone out, sizzling somewhat when it touched the shallow water. Completely dark, he realized he was in very cold water, but it wasn't deep as it came up to his waist line. Feeling around for any glass or sharp objects, he came up empty.

He paused then. A hissing noise came about in the darkness moments after he fell. He couldn't make out was it was, but hoped it was nothing dangerous. Trying not to move around to cause more noise drawn to him, he reached into his jacket pocket. He fiddled around somewhat, before reaching his lighter. The noise was louder and it seemed like it was close by. He flipped the lid open, and the flame appeared. When he flashed the fire over in front o him, his heart nearly stopped.

Sitting before him was a Snake. Not just any snake, a Cobra. He froze almost immediately, not knowing what to do. He'd been through this before, but he didn't have a big enough fire to scare it away. Indiana swallowed the thick lump forming in his throat, and felt the tips of his fingers start to numb.

"Okay Indy, take a deep breath" His words even scared him. The Cobra didn't move, its penetrating eyes attached to him. He sucked in his bottom lip, glancing to the left to see his torch was a few inches away in arms reach. 'If I can reach it' He thought, still holding the lighter.

Slowly, Indiana reached over some, keeping an eye on the Cobra doing so. He gripped the handle of it firmly and pulled it back towards him. Shaking it softly to get the water off, his eyes widened when the Cobra hissed, opening its mouth.

Its fangs were visible when it retracted forward. "Shit!" He cursed, ducking when it struck forward, almost taking a chunk out of him. He lit torch then, the fire now expanding even larger than before. He held it out when the Cobra tried to come closer, but the light made it slither away, disappearing into the water.

He sighed once it was gone, his heart rate slowing down. "Get a hold of yourself, Indy" He mumbled, mentally slapping himself as he found his way back up.


	2. A Meeting Of The Sorts

Note: Sorry guys, Chapter 2 got deleted from my drive, so I'm uploading 3 for you loves, and will put in a brief flashback on what happened inside(:

Lara cursed under her breath as she slipped. Again. She rose to her feet in seconds, dusting off her leather pants doing so. She turned back to face the crumbling Tomb behind her, her eyes glittering like jewels. '_It's gone. It's all gone'_ She thought to herself, her mind shattering at the fact that she couldn't retrieve the Artifact in time.

Sudden anger flooded through her, and she kicked the nearest thing in sight. The toe of her black boot made contact with a rock-only for her eyes to widen. She gave a painful gasp as she hopped on her foot, clutching the tip of her throbbing boot.

Letting her pain subside, she continued to stare at the roof falling apart, before the entire thing just dissembled completely. She looked back and sighed, thinking about what happened.

_Lara slithered inside the small opening, carefully not to make too much noise. She balanced herself with her hands on each side of her, elbows upwards so she didn't fall forward. She brushed her long braid out of the view, before stretching herself even further. _

_She smiled when a faint light could be seen at the end, not too far. She carefully brushed herself closer and closer, keeping her elbows up. She shook a Tarantula from her left shoulder, eye rolling before reaching the end. She gripped the bottom edge, her red nails digging into the stone as she pulled herself out from the small space, giving her room. _

_She turned over and touched the floor with her boots, trying not to fall. If there was too much, she'd probably set of thousands of traps; poison darts, axes, blade, and such. Lara tightened her braid, beginning to look around._

"_How remarkable, I'm falling in love all over again" She spoke to herself, remembering the last time she visited Brisbane. As usual she tightened her braid somewhat, before starting to walk inwards, eyes lighting up. _

"_How could no one ever see this?" She said out loud, leaning forwards to get a better look at all of the Roman numerals printed on the Stone walls, clearly fascinated. She ran her hand over the smooth canvas, only feeling the markings that were engraved. _

_She moved over whilst crouching slightly, soaking in everything. "This temple seemed to be here for over thousands of years, and it still looks marvelous in 2001, how incredible." Her voice carried somewhat, making her jump at her own words. _

_Lara rolled her eyes and stood up straight again, not believing her silly nonsense. She then remembered what she had been looking for, and went on ahead. But when she did, a sudden shot made her stop and turn. She pulled out her Colt Pistols quickly, ready to aim. It wasn't a gunshot, not even a Rifle sound, but something…different. Like taking a racket to a wet blanket, very loud and sudden sounding. _

_She had been caught off guard momentarily but was now in full control. She looked around the area intensively, wanting to know who or what it was. A voice threw her off her track, and she looked upward where it came from. _

"_Didn't mean to scare you…" A male chuckle appeared, one she didn't recognize. _

"_Who's there?" She said, but gasped when a Whip shot around her arms, wrapping tightly around the handle of her Pistol, yanking it from her grasp. It was pulled away and tossed towards the other side of the room, leaving her with one Pistol to protect herself._

"_Give it up Doll, I have it now, there's no use in going on any further" It was a semi-flirty type voice, with an egomaniac sound to it. Lara scoffed, "And why not show me for myself? I want to see how much of a man you really are, dear"_

_She heard a soft snicker, and chewed her bottom lip, getting annoyed. His rough hand ran through his hair, sighing in the process. _

"_Oh Doll, I would love to stay and chat, but I have more important things to attend to, so if you don't mind…" His voice trailed off, leaving Lara to wonder his whereabouts. She kept on finger on the trigger, not letting him catch her off guard, once again. _

_Her pristine eyes kept switching from all angles of the room, and she started to inch towards her other Pistol. Her heart began speeding up at the thought of him just jumping out, but she took in a deep exhale, remaining calm. She was a few inches from her gun, still looking around. Getting the reassurance that he was no longer present, she slipped her Pistol back into its holster. She bent forward, picking up the shiny gun, her reflection glittering. _

_Her eyes widened when there was another person in the metal of her gun, but before she could turn around, his arms had wrapped tightly around her from behind, making her boots scrape the stone flooring below her. _

"_You just don't give up, do you?" He chuckled in her ear, and she growled. Lara began struggling to get loose from his grasp, but came to no avail, not even loosening it. She gave up then, and kept her fists clenched tightly, getting more irritated by the minute. _

_Lara dropped her head somewhat, her thick braid falling over her shoulder. "You have the quite the nerve to put your hands on me, you impertinent fool, I am-"He rudely cut her words off, placing on hand over her full lips, _

"_Lara Croft, daughter of Richard Croft, the Famous Archeologist. I know who you are Sweetheart, I know about everything, lived long enough as well" He said into her ear, and she wanted to bite through his hand. When he released her lips, she began speaking._

"_I don't know who you are! What you are, but you'd better let me go! Or I'll-"She didn't finished as he unraveled himself from her body, her almost falling. When she caught herself, she reached for her Pistol, whipping it to shoot him. _

_Lara took in strong breaths, holding the handle with two hands. Her auburn eyes searched everywhere, but he was gone. There wasn't a trace of him left. _

"_Oh, bloody hell!" She cursed, getting to her boots. Before she could balance herself, she staggered somewhat when massive shock waves began filling up the room. She looked around, eyes widening as long, hair-line fractures began forming down each interior wall, dust and small rocks falling to the ground below. _

_Lara turned to the left, the markings and statues that were attached to the walls fell forward, shattering on impact when it met the ground. She gripped her Pistols, stepping back. "Oh shit" She said, turning to find her way in. She ducked when a pillar holding up the ceiling collapsed, and she ducked just in time. _

_She moved her braid out of the way, now running towards the crevice she had entered to get inside this place. She remembered the Diamond, but decided to save her own life as she hopped up, her hands gripping the edge. She looked down to see the floor breaking under her, and pulled herself up just in time. _

_Lara sighed and watched the floor crumbled and fall, leaving nothing in her view but a pitch black pit, with no end. She moved around and got on her stomach, using her elbows to pull herself through the small area, trying to find her way out. Her elbows brushed against the riveting shards from the wood, cutting through her skin. "C'mon Lara, you're going to fucking die if you don't get out" Her cut skin didn't seem to bother her as she reached the end. _

_She grabbed the edge, pulling her body out with her strength. She closed her eyes briefly from the direct sunlight, using her gloved hand to shield her gaze. Before it could fall and crush her, she hopped down from the ledge, landing smoothly on her feet. _

"Back to the Manor-"She was about to say to herself, before her intelligent ears caught a noise. It was snagging somewhat, rustling of the sort. It was a person, recognizing the heavy thumps of boots trying to get through the Marsh.

Vastly pulling her Pistols out from the holsters, Lara turned around sharply, averting her gaze to find whoever it was. Keeping a light tap on the trigger in case she needed it, her red lips fell down in an awestruck look.

Now on top of the rock cliff formation was the man she met inside. He was gazing about the water falls, clear enough for her to see he had something in his hands. 'The crystal!' She thought, putting one of her guns back away. She watched him hold it up into the light, the sun rays beaming through the pristine material.

He looked down towards the young woman, smirking now.

"Guess I got to it first, Sweetheart" His chuckle could be heard quickly, his voice echoing. Lara gritted her teeth, how dare he talk to her like that? She was still looking up as the beautiful Emerald glittered down, the small reflections appearing on his rugged features.

"How did you-Who are you?" She asked, narrowing her eyes to get a clearer picture of the man, but the bright sun didn't do it any justice. He continued to smile coyly as he rubbed the crystal with his rough thumb, before slipping it in his bag.

"Ah Doll, I would tell you, but I'm afraid I never adjust to meeting a woman for the first time, all they do is fall for me…" His words dripped off as he fixed his dirty Fedora. Lara fumed from below, not believing this man's audacity to chime in on her like she was…some sort of Wench! She gritted her white teeth anger, resisting the urge to blow him away.

"You have quite the confidence! It's a shame I can't talk to more closely, I would love to see that face of yours…" She spoke, placing her hands firmly on her wide hips. She didn't get a valid response, only some sort of hearty chuckle, which made her insides turn.

"Look dear, as much as I'd like to rock your world, I have important things to attend to, like return this Crystal to its rightful place…in a Museum. Have a wonderful day Doll…" He waved his Fedora in a childish manner, before disappearing above the Waterfall.

Lara cursed under her breath. "God damnit! Who in the hell was that! All this blood sun made it so I couldn't see!" She pulled at her tight braid, wanting to pull her hair from the roots. Giving up, she placed her open gun away that time, before calling up Winston, wanting to get a ride home, since her Bike got stuck in the muck.

She stared as the remaining visible parts of her Bike, which was only the handle bars, completely sunk deeper into the mud, "And I need a new Bike, Bloody hell!"


End file.
